Modi govt to extend gas connections under Ujjwala to all Most Backward Castes, SCs and STs

LUCKNOW: In a significant Dalit and backward caste outreach ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA government has decided to provide gas connections under its ambitious Ujjwala Yojna to all families of most backward castes (MBCs), SC and ST communities across the country. In the beginning, the move will be rolled out first in Uttar Pradesh where the BJP stormed to power in 2017.

Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced in Lucknow that in the next two months, gas connections would be provided to all households of MBCs, SCs and STs, irrespective of whether their names figured in the list of beneficiaries. Pradhan was in the state capital for a road show on the ninth round of bidding for the city gas distribution programme.

The Ujjwala scheme, experts said, had played a crucial role in helping the BJP to come to power in UP with a thumping majority, after a gap of 14 years.

Centre uses Ujjawala to reach out to MBCs

The announcement comes a fortnight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the setting up of a commission to examine the possibility of giving reservation within quota to MBCs. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had also said that the state government might consider providing separate reservation benefits to MBCs and ati-Dalits in government jobs.

The Centre plans to push the Ujjwala Yojna by extending it to 22 more districts, including Gorakhpur and Amethi, in UP. Currently, the city gas distribution is being executed in 15 districts, including PM Modi’s constituency of Varanasi.

Pradhan has asked the UP CM to review the existing VAT on household gas supply, which is currently at 10%. “The state government has already reduced the VAT on gas but to encourage investment in the state, I would ask the UP CM to review the existing VAT and bring it down further, especially for household connections. It would also be welcome if you do it for industrial input since a mandatory condition for export is the use of clean fuel for production,” he said.

He further announced that an investment of Rs 50,000 crore is being made for setting up infrastructure to provide piped natural has in the state. “Around 2,000 km of gas pipelines have been laid in the state so far and we will expand this by another 1,000 km. A further expenditure of Rs 10,000 crore is being made for development of infrastructure for household piped gas supply,” the minister said.

The UP CM announced that to facilitate expansion of gas supply infrastructure, a single window system has been set up in each district under the district magistrate who will act as a nodal officer. “Who ever wants to bid for supplying gas in the state will not have to visit multiple officials. The running meter fee of Rs 3,000 has been reduced to Re 1 per running meter for road cutting.